Monday, April 30, 2012

Today's Featured Artist is . . .

Julia is an award winning colcha embroidery artist.As a volunteer at El Rancho de las
Golondrinas she helps with the shearing of Churro sheep, spins and weaves
sabanilla and dyes her yarn with natural pigments.The spinners and weavers are there on Fridays
unless there is a Fiesta weekend, then they volunteer for either Saturday or
Sunday.She teaches Colcha embroidery at
the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art in Santa Fe on the second Wednesday of every
month from 10:00 am to Noon.Everyone is
welcome to come and learn or just join in for fun and inspiration.She will be at Spanish Market in July.

NOTE: If you would like to see these photos larger, just click on one.

See more at www.nmfiberartisans.org, friend us on FaceBook and join us on Twitter. If you are a New Mexico fiber artists please join us! It's easy - just go to our web site to submit your membership application.

Monday, April 16, 2012

This week's featured artist it . . .

Heather has studied with several master artists/weavers and
is the recipient of many awards, exhibited in and sold from fine art galleries
and fulfilled numerous commissions as a professional of fine art weaving.Her work explores color, form, movement and
light.Her inspiration comes from the
geometry and rhythms of the natural world. Color is paramount in Heather’s work
and she dyes all of her own wool and silk.Tapestry involves the senses as well as the intellect and a contemporary
tapestry is thrilling.

For the past 9 months, she has been preparing for an
upcoming show at the

Watermelon Gallery

12220 N. Highway 14

Cedar Crest, NM

Which will be happening in the month of May. The show
is called Deux Spectacles. The show hangs for the month of May and the
opening reception is Saturday, May 5, 2012 from 4 - 8 PM. Her work as well as
the work of painter Michael Meyer will be featured. Everyone is invited!

Glenna Dean’s Abiquiu Dye Studio on the banks of the Chama
River specializes in plant dyes (not extracts) mostly grown or gathered in
Northern New Mexico. Period dyes recreate Spanish Colonial colors on heirloom
churro wool yarns for colcha embroidery, tapestry weaving, felting, knitting
and crochet. Natual-dyed sock, DK and fingering yarns of blue-faced leicester,
merino, and more are the makings of unique wearable art. Play with the
rainbows!

Glenna Dean holds advanced degrees in archeology and botany
and is trained as an archaeobotanist. She specialized in the identification and
analysis of pollen grains from archeological artifacts (like grinding stones
and pottery vessels), the identification of burned seeds and broken plant
parts, and technological analysis of textiles, sandals, and other artifacts
made from plant or animal fibers.

Cotton was grown in the American Southwest before Columbus,
and 700-year-old cotton textiles are still bright with red, black, and yellow
colors. Glenna's search for possible sources for the ancient dyes turned into a
study of natural dyeing—and a passion all its own.

I have been weaving tapestries since 1993 when I moved to
New Mexico, taking a year off to pursue my art. The impressions of objects and
forms appear in my work as geometric renditions of shadow forms, color blends
and large stylized pottery shapes. I'm currently working on a series of runners
featuring bold color blends .

My work is characterized by strong, asymmetrical designs. My
usual colors, black and white, are sometimes mixed with other strong hues all
of which I dye myself in order to get the variety richness of color.

What I would like to evoke are those memories or moments of
beauty we experience in our everyday lives. Like patterns of shadows, the color
of an adobe wall, a bit of pottery or feather the juxtaposition of rock and
sky: glimpses of beauty I should like to capture .

I began weaving in college when a part of a class project
was to copy/recreate a "master work" of art. I chose to create a
Navaho-style rug, beginning with building the loom, handspuning the yarn, and
weaving my first tapestry. I was hooked!

Later, when I took a Victor Jacoby's workshop and was
exposed to the wide range of tapestry work, I felt that weaving tapestries
could be a valid vocation. I moved to New Mexico in 1992 to devote more time to
tapestry weaving.

Currently I'm mostly focusing on the runner format.
(see pictures below and under 'Limited Editions' on my web site) I make
my living weaving and dyeing yarns. The runners are affordable yet allow me to
experiment with new ideas.

About New Mexico Fiber Artisans

Your Source for All Things Fiber in New Mexico
New Mexico Fiber Artisans is a state-wide coalition of artists, growers, businesses and groups committed to developing fiber and fiber art as a primary income source with the intention of improving the economic sustainability of themselves and their communities.
NMFA is a collective voice for those who create and market all manner of fiber arts - from the fiber growers to the finshed products and all steps in between. We embrace all cultural traditions and artistic approaches and it is our vision to encompass the entire state with a structure of support, encouragement and economic opportunity. Through events, a directory, advertising and a creative and active web site, we showcase New Mexico’s wonderful variety of traditional and contemporary fiber arts and help to bring economic sustainability to New Mexico fiber artisans and their communities.
In joining NMFA you are adding your name and support to this organization.
In supporting the members of NMFA you are helping us develop a sustainable economic base for ourselves and our communities.